A Healthy Body Equals a Healthy Mind
By Jazmine Leath
Amid the constant fight for civil liberties, the Black community has continued to push forward in hope of establishing a more fair and just society. We’ve protested and rallied for our rights, rebelled against imprisonment and slavery, broken down crooked systems and even created our own structure of revolutionary socialism. Still, here we are to fight another day. However, one aspect we tend to fight for the least is for the health and wellbeing of our community.
When health is a concern, most people assume it’s all about the physicality, but health is more than physical - it’s a balance of mental, emotional, social, and physical wellness. When each of these are in harmony, a community has the ability to function with optimal success. But when the health of a community is jeopardized, it suffers dramatically: socioeconomic factors regress, poverty rises while education declines, health risks become more prominent, and prison rates increase due to a lack of mental and financial clarity (among other causes).
Every fight for freedom is worth the battle. Constructing sustainable communities, cleaning up the streets in which we live, lobbying for equal human rights - these are all necessary strides. But even if this became our sole intent, the living conditions we create would still be uninhabitable unless the people who inhabit them are alive and well. If we are to put all of our effort into maintaining material means, we must also consider the overall well-being of the people.
A healthy body gives rise to a healthy mind. And a healthy mind facilitates the drive it takes to succeed on our path.
If one-hundred percent of the Black community had access to affordable health care, regular checkups, psychological advocacy, and a social community that supports the wellbeing of its people, imagine what we could accomplish. And not only that, imagine how the youth would be affected by these positive changes.
Our fate would no longer be theirs - we could change that. Their predisposition to health risks could be dramatically lowered due to our newly constructed health choices. The mindset of lack or not having enough, wouldn’t cause them to make poor choices in life. They would be clearer in their thinking because as their parents and role models, we have changed the way that we think.
The perplexity of a person’s adult life depends on the foundation of the child’s. While you may have grown up a certain way, in a certain area, or with people that didn’t make the best health or life choices that doesn’t mean that you have to pass down those choices to your offspring. You have the ability to prolong life - for yourself and the ones that will be here when you’re gone. It’s all about making a choice.
Jazmine is a writer who focuses on minimalist living and the importance of the spiritual and mental wellness. Her hobbies include meditation, vegan cooking and traveling.
She can be found at www.jazmineleath.com